Quick answer: A medication error in a Santa Clara County nursing home (the wrong drug, the wrong dose, a missed blood thinner, or a dangerous interaction) can support a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act, and federal pharmacy rules (42 CFR 483.45) govern how medications must be managed. The medication administration record, physician orders, and pharmacy records show what happened. Free review at (888) 999-0169 or send us a message. A medication error, the wrong drug, the wrong dose, a missed blood thinner, or a dangerous interaction, can be catastrophic for a frail resident. These errors trace back to rushed staff, weak pharmacy oversight, and poor recordkeeping. Santa Clara County has 50 skilled nursing facilities, and its bottom tier is where these failures concentrate.
If your loved one was harmed by a medication error in a Santa Clara County nursing home, you may have a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act. Call (888) 999-0169 for a free, confidential consultation. We know the defense playbook because we spent years running it, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Nursing home records in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County has 50 federally certified nursing facilities with 5,114 licensed beds. Since 1997, state inspectors have issued 627 citations against Santa Clara County facilities, including 13 class AA citations and 51 class A citations. Facilities in the county have been assessed $2,847,630 in state penalties over that period.
A class AA citation is a class A violation that the Department of Public Health determined was a direct proximate cause of a resident's death. A class A citation is a violation the Department determined presented an imminent danger of death or serious harm to residents, or a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm would result.
26 of those enforcement actions were connected to a resident's death.
The county's facilities average 3.5 of 5 stars on the federal rating system. 13 of 50 facilities hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
Santa Clara County facilities have been assessed $651,609 in federal fines.
The most cited nursing homes in Santa Clara County
- Westwood Post Acute (46 citations)
- The Redwoods Post-Acute (37 citations)
- Mission De La Casa (33 citations)
See every facility in the county, with its full record, in the nursing home directory.
Citation data covers July 1, 1997 through June 30, 2024. Ratings and fines are current as of the CMS processing date shown above.
What the record shows in Santa Clara County
Medication errors surface in the medication administration records, the physician orders, and the pharmacy reconciliation, and they concentrate at homes with weak inspection records.
The CMS file puts the county's weakest health inspection ratings at these homes. In San Jose, Skyline Healthcare Center - San Jose holds a 1 star health inspection rating and a 1 star overall rating, with a 4 star staffing rating. Its record also shows 4.07 nursing hours per resident per day and $105,089 in federal fines across 1 federal penalty. CMS gives The Villas at Saratoga Skilled Nsg & Assisted Lvg in Saratoga a 1 star health inspection rating and a 1 star overall rating, with a 3 star staffing rating. It also carries 4.39 nursing hours per resident per day and $40,323 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties. CMS gives Herman Health Care Center in San Jose a 1 star health inspection rating and a 1 star overall rating, with a 4 star staffing rating. It carries 4.02 nursing hours per resident per day and $39,819 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties as well. 13 of the county's 50 homes hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
A weak inspection record often reflects the medication-management deficiencies that lead to these errors.
Before you accept a facility's explanation, check its record in our Santa Clara County nursing home directory. For how these cases work, see our California medication errors page.
How Santa Clara County families can respond
Request the complete chart in writing, including the medication administration record, physician orders, pharmacy records, and any incident reports. Gather the hospital records if your loved one was hospitalized. File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health through Cal Health Find, or contact the Santa Clara County Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Catholic Charities) at (408) 944-0567, or the state crisis line at (800) 231-4024 after hours. In an emergency, contact Santa Clara County Adult Protective Services or call 911. Our full guide is here: how to report nursing home abuse in California.
Not sure whether what happened crosses the line into neglect? A short, free call can tell you. Call (888) 999-0169.
Why work with us
Michael Young and Thomas Wallin spent years defending nursing homes before switching sides. In the years since, they have recovered millions for California families in elder abuse and neglect cases. Medication cases turn on documents: the physician order, what the medication administration record says was actually given, and what the pharmacy dispensed. We know how a missed dose or a wrong medication gets papered over, and how to line the records up to show what really happened. As Santa Clara County nursing home abuse lawyers, we handle these cases across San Jose, Sunnyvale, Gilroy, and the county and throughout California.
Talk to a Santa Clara County medication error lawyer today
Call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free case evaluation. We serve families throughout Santa Clara County and all of California. We have recovered millions holding these facilities accountable, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Sources and authoritative references
- CMS Care Compare, the federal nursing home rating and inspection database: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
- California Department of Public Health, Cal Health Find, to look up a facility or file a complaint: https://calhealthfind.cdph.ca.gov/
- California Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15600: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=15600.
- Federal pharmacy services standard, 42 CFR 483.45: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/part-483/section-483.45
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a nursing home medication error?
Giving the wrong drug or the wrong dose, missing a scheduled medication such as a blood thinner or insulin, giving a medication the resident is allergic to, or failing to monitor for a dangerous interaction. Any of these can seriously harm or kill a frail resident.
Is a medication error neglect?
It can be. Medication errors usually trace to understaffing, poor training, or weak pharmacy oversight, which are forms of neglect under California's Elder Abuse Act, especially where the error was reckless.
What should I do first?
Request the medication administration record, the physician orders, and the pharmacy records in writing. Then talk to a lawyer, because these documents are the heart of a medication case and are easiest to obtain early.
How many nursing homes are in Santa Clara County?
Santa Clara County has 50 federally certified nursing facilities with 5,114 licensed beds. Every one of them is listed in our Santa Clara County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
Do Santa Clara County nursing homes have citations for medication errors?
State inspectors have issued 627 citations against Santa Clara County nursing homes since 1997, across the full range of care failures rather than any single one. We do not publish a citation count by injury type, because the state does not categorize them that way. Check the specific home's own record instead. Every one of them is listed in our Santa Clara County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
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Disclaimer: facility ratings and fines above are drawn from public CMS data (medicare.gov) as of the August 2026 processing date and are reported as published. They may not reflect the most current findings, and inclusion of any facility is not an allegation of wrongdoing. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case. This page is attorney advertising and not legal advice.